How to lock attention to a specific app with Guided Access for iPhone and iPad

Guide access is an Accessibility feature that lets you lock the iPhone or iPad to a single app. For as long as guided access is enabled, only that one specific app can be used, and there's no way to exit it for the Home screen or any other app. Guided Access can be extremely useful in education settings, to help kids focus for learning math, language, and other skills, and for working with people on the autistic spectrum. Whether it's a writing app, drawing app, music app, math app, or a story, video, or reading app, guided access helps make sure that all attention remains on that app.

Note: Guided access can also be used by kiosks, restaurants, store, and other businesses to create a dedicated information or transaction device, and it can even be used to create a "guest mode" so you can hand your device to someone and let them use Safari, iBooks, Video, or a game without having to worry about them snooping through your personal information.

How to enable Guided Access

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

Tap on General.

Tap on Accessibility.

Tap on Guided Access under the Learning section.

Toggle Guided Access On.

Tap on Set Passcode and choose a passcode that only you will know.

Toggle Accessibility Shortcut to On so you can triple-click the Home button to enter Guided Access from wherever. You only have to complete this step if you choose.

How to use Guided Access

Launch the app you'd like the intended user to have access to.

Triple click the Home button to launch Guided Access.

Circle any areas of the screen you wouldn't like to be accessible, if any.

Tap on Options in the bottom left to choose whether or not you want to grant access to the Sleep/Wake button, Volume buttons, touch screen, and motion. Tap Done to save your selections.

Tap on Start at the top of the screen to begin Guided Access.

Once Guided Access is enabled, anyone trying to leave the specific app you've locked it to will receive a banner message telling them to triple-click the Home button to exit. If they don't know the passcode, they won't be able to exit Guided Access unless and until you enter the passcode.

If you've used Guided Access on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, what do you think of it and why do you use it? Are there any improvements you think Apple could make that would allow it to be even more useful for you?

Reader comments

How to lock attention to a specific app with Guided Access for iPhone and iPad

Use with Caution: I experienced loss of Wi-Fi connection, app freezes & the inability to turn off the restricted access. (*iPad2)

I tried this for a client, the iPad was for the Crestron control system of their custom AV system. I got tired of people switching the Wi-Fi from the sandboxed Crestron network to the corporate Wi-Fi with Internet, then wondering why they couldn't control anything.

In about a week (maybe the long time was the problem) they couldn't control anything, and the app was basically frozen and I couldn't triple click out of the guided access settings.

I had to hard reboot the iPad.

I'm sure this is a rare example, and this feature is more intended for locking on a game for your kid so he can't go messing up other stuff.

I assumed as much. GA probably isn't intended for extended use. I looked into the iPad configurator to accomplish the 1-app lockdown, but it wouldn't work for my situation due to varying account from client to client. It also wouldn't allow lockdown of Wi-Fi, which is all I really needed.